Volume 2 Chapter 24 Majority Decision
Without hiding her dissatisfaction, Eleonora frowned and questioned the gathered members of the Loriengita royal family.
"So, you're asking me—a woman born and raised in this backwater corner of Ashreach—to suddenly become the emperor?"
"You have the qualifications. Strength alone is one of them."
"No way. No way at all. I've only ever managed the affairs of two tiny villages. An entire country? One that spans three nations—"
"It's actually six nations," someone corrected.
Suddenly, Erika interjected with a grin, and as Eleonora turned to look, she saw Erika standing alongside Wilhelm and Haral.
"I also spoke with the dwarves," Erika added. "But they refused. Said they don't have the authority to make that kind of decision."
"They're soldiers and craftsmen—not bureaucrats," Wilhelm said, supporting her point as Erika gave a scolding glance toward the dwarves, including Viktor, clearly unimpressed.
"The strong rise to the top. It's only natural."
Haral said this with a big, unbothered smile.
"She says she doesn't intend to do it. So if we hand it over and she walks away, what's the point?"
"No," another voice argued, "just having those three groups follow her is already a major win. If the Suno people don't go on the attack, that alone is enough."
The Dark Elves possessed assassination skills. The elves were masters of long-range attacks. And the Suno people—just their presence was a constant threat. If these three factions obediently followed Eleonora, then her position at the top would have weight.
That's how King Simeon saw it. Queen Elodia, meanwhile, expressed hesitation, saying she didn't want to tie down someone she owed a favor to. But from an outsider's perspective, Simeon's position appeared the more reasonable.
"...We'd gain access to high-quality timber from the Black Forest. That would let us build ships at a fraction of the cost."
Gradually, King Charles's heart began leaning toward Eleonora's ascension. A businessman at heart, he had already begun calculating the profits that could come from timber and processed goods flowing from the newly annexed elven lands.
"Are you really serious, Charles? Can you just toss aside a title that's been passed down through generations so easily?"
"Honestly, the nobility and the common folk alike have already lost faith in the Lorycang Family. Rather than let the land fall into chaos, it's better to calm the people with the light of a new emperor."
"Still... aren't we placing too much burden on her? A horse pushed too far will collapse, won't it?"
Wilhelm agreed with Elodia's concern, but even as he voiced it, he couldn't completely bury his hope.
This was the woman who had pacified the constantly warring Magelun tribes and turned them into a unified nation.
If anyone could bring together humans, elves, dwarves, and even races he had never seen before to forge an empire unlike any in history—it would be her.
He wanted to see it. It was a desire unusual for an elf, a race that normally avoided change. Yet that emotion stirred in his heart.
Dark Elf Erika felt no need to hide her thoughts. She simply wanted to witness the grand feats of the hero she had imagined in her mind.
Soon enough, the remnants of the former Loriengita Empire were being flattened. Members of the royal family, with no coercion at all, were voluntarily offering the throne.
What was it that Eleonora possessed?
Was it a rare charisma? Or perhaps a noble fate woven by the gods themselves?
For Haral, Chief of the Suno people, it was even simpler than that.
She brought both the battlefield and wealth.
And that, in itself, carried immense weight for the Suno people.
In their view of religion, only those who endure the harshness of the battlefield and perish from pure exhaustion can reach heaven.
In the frozen northern seas, where food was scarce and survival meant stealing from others, such beliefs had deep roots.
Eleonora brought them both the tangible spoils of war and the promise of a worthy end—an afterlife as a true warrior.
Whether she was a man or woman didn't matter. What mattered was her strength, proven on the battlefield.
There was no obstacle for the three groups to accept her crown. With Simeon, who normally would have been opposed, now suggesting the coronation himself—and Charles leaning toward support—Elodia had no ground to stand on.
She had achieved nothing like Eleonora had. Any opposition she voiced would only sound like bitter jealousy from someone incapable.
In the end, she could do nothing.
Eleonora, while sometimes a troublemaker, always responded when others depended on her.
Even proposals like this—laden with trouble and risk—she never dismissed outright.
The Suno people might stir unrest. The question of whether forest-dwelling elves could truly integrate with human society lingered. And if that caused friction with the dwarf nations...
All these worries piled one upon the next, until they cornered her, pressing from every direction.
"Ms. Eleonora... there's something I must tell you about the church."
"Ah... well, once I become emperor, they won't be able to act so freely."
Johanna's concerns, and the strained relationship with the church, had become a decisive factor.
It was easy to eliminate someone with no ties. But eliminating the head of a state—now that was an entirely different story.
In that sense, their logic wasn't surprising.
Eleonora had already been targeted by members of the church. Her distrust ran deep.
As for Johanna, she feared the sense of confinement—the same stifling cage she had known while living under the title of "saint."
There would be complications, certainly. Safety and danger would come hand in hand.
But factoring that in, becoming emperor meant others would hesitate to act.
"Understood. I'll accept. But I won't carry this burden alone. I'll need all of you to stand with me."
At her words, one by one, they knelt and bowed their heads.
Even Elodia, who had watched the entire scene with sorrow in her eyes, finally gave in and offered her pledge of loyalty.
"We pledge our loyalty to the new emperor who stands before us."
"Though of different races, we do not object to receiving the light she brings."
"May that light spread forever across the land."
When their voices fell silent, everyone turned and waited for Eleonora—their new emperor—to speak.
"I accept your loyalty."
At that moment, Erika imagined flames erupting from Eleonora's body.
Not red flames, but a quiet blue flame—hotter and more intense than any red blaze.
(Ah... I wasn't wrong.)
Smiling to herself, Erika let her thoughts wander.
In her mind's eye, she saw her lord leading an army of many races—conquering all of Naroppa, crossing the Southern Continent, marching through the frozen eastern lands, and even setting foot in distant, unknown lands beyond the seas.
(Yes... this is going to be far more interesting.)
"What should we name the country? We can't keep calling it Loriengita."
"We've unified the East and West. Why not name it the Clanf Empire?"
"But with Her Majesty being Tyria... there will be pushback if we use the name of Clanf for the empire."
While each person voiced their thoughts freely about the name of the new nation, Johanna approached Eleonora and quietly asked for her opinion.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Well... if we're talking about uniting regions similar to France, Germany, and the Czech Republic, as they're understood on Earth, then there's really only one name that fits."
"And what is that name?"
"The Holy Roman Empire. But since it's called Maro here, I suppose it would be the Holy Maro Empire."
With that, Eleonora smiled to herself—quiet and self-deprecating—and murmured softly:
"It began as a great power, no doubt. But in the end, it became a loose gathering of many different peoples.
And now, a new country will be born."
* * *
In the year 962 of the Savior's Calendar, the Holy Maro Empire came into existence.
It spanned the territories of the former Loriengita Empire, as well as the newly founded Ropsein Kingdom within the Magelun region.
The first empress to ascend the throne was Eleonora I.
Even in the modern era, various theories swirl around her origins.
Yet what mattered more than her past—was what this nation became.
It held an unprecedented expanse of land in Naroppa's long history.
And it became the epicenter of unrest and upheaval unlike any before.
At the same time, a wave of technological progress swept through its lands, marking the beginning of what would later be known as the Golden Age of Naroppa—the age that unfolded during Eleonora's reign.
Political reforms followed soon after, and certain political scholars would later call this time "the budding of democracy."
Religious leaders, however, gave it a different name:
"The Era When God Was Asleep."
And so now, together, we open this new era—and a new world.
Notes:
• Haral - The Chief of the Suno people, a tall and imposing figure. He values strength and generosity, prioritizing land, gold, and resources for his people.
• Erika - A dark elf (forest person) with exceptional agility and magical abilities, including silencing and invisibility magic. Her appearance is characterized by dark brown skin, ash-blond hair cut in a short bob, long ears, and red-black eyes resembling dried blood. She has a detached and playful personality, often showing amusement or indifference to conflicts. Her relationship with others is distant, though she seems to have a tribal connection with men like Klaus and Franz.
• Erik - Son of the fallen warrior Danruhav, seeking revenge and a new land, eager to prove his strength in battle.
• Viktor - Viktor Kinshield Novak. A dwarf from the Kinshield Clan. His appearance is described as short, with a long beard and a stout, barrel-like body. He is charismatic and jovial, though his behavior becomes erratic when drunk.
• Elodia - The second princess of Loriengita. She has shown favor to Georges, who aims to marry her by achieving military merit.
• Simeon - The ruler of the East Clanf Kingdom. His appearance is not described, but he is portrayed as a strategic leader. He judges the benefits of expanding into the Magelun region as sufficient. His relationship with Elodia is one of opposition, as he seeks to capture her to justify his territorial ambitions.
• Charles - Male. King of the West Clanf Kingdom. He has brown skin and a regal appearance, often seen in royal attire. His speech is accented due to his southern roots. He is melancholic and pragmatic, prioritizing economic stability over territorial expansion. He has a newborn son, Arsène, and a sister, Elodia. His relationship with his lords is strained due to his passive governance.
• Magelun - A dangerous and barbaric land, but a potential refuge from the East Clanf Kingdom.
• Johanna - Silvia's new name.
• Ropsein Kingdom - A budding military power located in Naroppa, known for restructuring Kotche territory and functioning as a production base for weapons and armor. It has protected the lives of soldiers from the Holy Maro Empire.
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